


Explosions

by itsnotaboutlove



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dating, Double Dating, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Homophobia, M/M, Multi, POV First Person, Pregnancy, Surrogacy, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-05-29
Packaged: 2018-01-11 03:23:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotaboutlove/pseuds/itsnotaboutlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard and Jim want to have a baby. They ask their best friend to be their surrogate. Things get crazy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

If you had told me that the year I turned twenty-nine would change my life forever, I would’ve either simply laughed in your face or ignored you. Hey, I’m a New Yorker and was raised to ignore the people that shouted at you on the streets on Manhattan! Don’t take any offense to it! Its just part of my nature and what my father taught me.  

 

Anyways, where was I? Oh yes! The year I turned twenty-nine, I became a mother. Well, a surrogate mother that is. You see, I had no plans really on having children of my own- my parents divorced when I was really young and I stayed behind to live with my father in Queens, while my mother went off to only god knows where. But up until the age of five, before they finally called it quits, I witnessed more fights in my childhood home than on a pay-per view-wrestling match that my cousins would watch.

 

So I spent my childhood, teenage years and early adult-hood, with the idea that marriage and children would simply NOT work for me. Sure, I had boyfriends and did the occasional one night stand. But not once, did I ever want to be tied down to one person and produce a shit load of babies to carry on the family name. Then came my two best friends- Leonard McCoy and James T. “Call me Jim, dollface” Kirk. I was a freshman at NYU, fated to meet these two idiots, after suffering through hours of orientation. Jim, a native of Iowa, was a transfer student (he suffered with me). Leonard, the oldest out of our deranged trio, was a junior and stuck with our group. Of course, he’ll claim that he hated us both from the beginning- LIES- but eventually, we bonded together.

 

Fast forward ten years, they were married and living their fabulous lives in a chic brownstone. With totally awesome jobs- Leonard is currently teaching all levels of science at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Manhattan. Jim worked in the research facilities within the MET, studying everything from cave paintings to toasters that screamed “Modern Art”.

 

Meanwhile, I was living in a shoebox of an apartment and reviewing shitty manuscripts, for shitty novels that would never be published. And I was single. VERY single. Of course, my two friends took this to their advantage, by luring me over one night for a home cooked meal, wine and spurring this ridiculous idea on me. Ridiculous because it was and because I almost passed on into the afterlife, choking on the most delicious pulled pork sandwich in front of them.

 

“We want to have a baby,” Leonard said, taking Jim by the hand, as they started.

 

Somehow, as I shoved my face with pork and carbs, I knew I was going to be stuck in a compromising position. But, let me continue.

 

God, I fucking hated that. The lovey dovey looks they gave one another and the handholding. Personally, I would’ve been fine, watching them fuck each other; I’ve seen it before. I even _joined_ in a few times, back in the day. (College is crazy, kids. Don’t listen to what your parents tell you, because you will see some crazy and dark shit during your four year stay!)

  
“And we were hoping that maybe… you could be our surrogate?” Jim asked, grinning sheepishly. “We know your stance on children, but we figured that if you were having a baby for _us,_ it would be different.”

 

How they thought this, I will never know. It wasn’t that I was totally against being pregnant; no way! The female body is gorgeous and the nine months of pregnancy was fascinating to me! The changes in the female body, both inside and out, and how cute some of the clothes were. But for me? Having the childhood I had, with a mother who despised my father and me and see him cry at the table in the middle of the night, was too much. Basically, you can say that I am a fucked up product of a failed marriage. A child who was somewhat smothered by her single father, because of his belief that he’d failed his own flesh and blood, by not being able to keep her mother around forever. I didn’t want that for my future and for any child, who would be my flesh and blood. But I didn’t want to make a commitment to someone, promise to love and cherish them forever, and have it fail.

 

Part of me wanted to say no. To say no and leave them sitting there, with their hopeful smiles and bright eyes. But looking at them, my two best friends (my only friends), I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be a selfish bitch and ruin their happiness and crush their dreams of becoming parents. I really couldn’t.

 

“How about we talk about this, when I don’t have three glasses of wine running through me,” I said, as I took a HUGE gulp of said wine. I needed to be drunk after that surprise.

 

And we did- a few days later.

 

A week after that, we went to a bar for the super bowl, got so shitfaced over two dollar beers, and had a threesome. The first since our summer trip to the Hamptons, two years previously. You may ask why a married couple, of the same sex, would be okay with having a threesome with a female. Yes, it’s going to raise questions of “Are they really gay then?” and la dee fucking da! But what happened between Leonard, Jim and myself, is both a spoken and unspoken agreement. They were both good-looking men who, while they loved each other and their tastes for cock, always cared for my…. sexual appetite. Let’s just say, Leonard and Jim have an open marriage. With me. But two years had gone by and we never touched the subject of jumping into bed together. Why? I have no idea, to be honest. It just happened.

 

But anyways, that’s not the main point of my story. This is the story about how I became a surrogate mother for my two best friends, fell in love unexpectedly, learned more about myself as a person… And how everything I thought I knew, changed when I was a week away from having a baby.

 

This is a story about how I lost my fucking mind.

 

In a nutshell at least.

 

If nutshells could ever hold all of this, into one fucking shell.

 

With my luck? They probably couldn’t. 


	2. Chapter 2

I found out that I was pregnant on a snowy day in early March, after six days of vomiting and realizing I was late. VERY late. Of course when I called Jim and Leonard, they were ecstatic about the idea that my uterus was possibly holding their spawn. Meanwhile, I was dying with the bad aftertaste of the previous evenings dinner, that feeling any joy was far from my mind. I knew watching the super bowl was a bad idea, especially when two-dollar beers were involved.  

 

Somehow, I managed to make it to their apartment, pushing past a very giddy Jim and nearly falling head first into their toilet. Once I managed to get my sloppy ass under control, Leonard came in with a pregnancy test and I managed to produce enough urine to find out our fates.

 

“I can’t believe it work,” Jim gasped, an hour after the results came in. “One of us got you pregnant. Oh my god, it could be a mini Jim or a mini Bones floating around in there!”

 

“You’re lucky I love you both,” I muttered, settling into the cocoon of blankets that I had been tucked into. “If I have to go through this during the entire thing, I will murder you both.”

 

Leonard chuckled, “By the time you end your first trimester, you’ll be fine,” he said, giving my foot a light squeeze. “Tonight, you’ll have soup and water. Tomorrow, we’ll call your lady doctor and figure out what’s next.”

 

I groaned, “I want a new gynecologist,” I groaned. “The one I have now hates me and she’s a Republican.”

 

Jim and Leonard exchanged confused looks, “That means she hates the gay folk and doesn’t accept Lesbian couples into her practice. She’s a bitchy pig.”

 

“Well, that bitchy pig is not putting her hands on our baby,” Jim shook his head. “I’ll look around and see what your insurance offers. We’ll find someone that’ll make sure you and the baby make it through the next few months without any issue.”

 

As Jim got up to use the computer, Leonard sat with me, watching as I laid there in despair.

 

“Oh god,” I finally cried, covering my face with my hands.

 

“What?” Leonard nearly shouted, sitting up quickly. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

 

I nodded, “I just realized,” I sighed, dropping my hands to my sides. “We have to tell my dad. He has NO idea that we even did this, or that I sleep with you and Jim from time to time.”

 

“Oh shit.”

 

“Oh shit, is right!” I nodded. “But you know what? It’s gonna be okay! Daddy’s known you two for years and loves you both like sons. This is going to be totally fine!”

 

…………….

 

Our trip into Forest Hills that Saturday, left us all trembling in our snow boots. After confirming that I was indeed with child, we decided to inform my father the news. Now, not to brag, but my dad is totally awesome. A worrywart, but awesome. My Dad was thirty-two when I was born, after retiring from the Air Force with an honorable discharge. That was how he met my mother, after joining up in the seventies to fight over in Vietnam, stationed all over the world until he met her in Italy. She was on vacation with her friends and much younger; twenty that is.

 

They were so in love, according to what my dad told me in the years after she walked out, staying in touch until being shot during a raid just four weeks after they met. By the time he returned to Queens, she was waiting for him outside his apartment with three suitcases and nine hundred dollars in her pocket. I was a “surprise” baby, considering the fact that my parents were only together for four months when I was conceived. I guess being discharged and home after being shot at, leaves you with little to do. So my parents got crazy one night, the condom broke and I was born in the summer of eighty-six. Somewhere, in between all of that, my parents got married and fell out of love two months before I showed up.

 

“It’s about time you three showed up!”

 

I felt Leonard tense next to me, as we started up the driveway of my old home. My father stood on the stoop, grinning at us.

 

“Father Chris!” Jim cried, signing him with the cross. “We are blessed to be in your presence!”

 

“Will you three hurry up?” he shook his head, the playful smirk on his face. “I got food on the stove and a couple beers in the fridge.”

 

On cold days, my dad walked with a limp. That, along with the scar on his thigh, was the constant reminder that he almost lost in life in combat. I thanked my lucky stars every day that he was spared and given the opportunity to live.

 

“When Audrey called me and asked if two more guests could come,” Chris said, as he closed the door. “I thought it would be a six pack and a pizza.”

 

“Dad, you know you can’t eat that stuff,” I reminded him, as we removed our coats and scarves. “The doctor said you have to watch what you eat and that alcohol was off limits.”

 

Jim snickered as I began to lecture my father on his health, making my way into the kitchen to see what he had in the fridge. After swatting my hand with a spoon, I quickly gave up and sat at the table.

 

“Phil wishes he could be here today, but he was called into work,” said Dad, as he checked on the chili. “He’s pissed that tonight is chili.”

 

“When is the old man gonna retire?” Leonard asked.

 

Dad shrugged, “When he has his first heart attack?” he offered, trying to look so innocent, but failing horribly.

 

“Daddy!” I scolded, shaking my head at him. “Uncle Phil can’t just retire now, especially with the cases he’s currently working on. He promised to retire in August and swore that he would have his replacement ready to go by then.”

 

Philip Boyce is my godfather and my dad’s best and only friend. The only friend that either survived years of military service or bothered to stay in touch after he was discharged. They both met fresh off the plane in when they were teens, heading to boot camp before being shipped out. It was Phil, a former medic and now well-known cardiologist, that sat with my father every night when my mom left. Fresh off a twenty-two hour shift, Phil sat in his stale and wrinkled scrubs at our kitchen table and listened to my father ramble on and on.

 

“Maybe he’ll be free next weekend!” Jim smiled. “I’m already missing his lecture on how I’ll have heart failure by the time I hit forty!”

 

Dad rolled his eyes, easing himself into the empty chair next to me. “You okay?” I asked, watching as he rested the cane against the table. “Did you take your medicine.”

 

He waved a hand at me, “It’s just the damp,” he insisted, rubbing his aching thigh. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, Audrey. I promise.”

 

I nodded, “Now, enough about me,” he continued. “What are you kids up to? How’s work?”

 

We spent the next two hours, talking and eating, as the big topic for discussion lay hidden beneath all that. By the time the boys accepted their third helpings and cleared their bowls, we finally broke the news.

 

“So, we have something we want to tell you,” I started, glancing over at Leonard and Jim, who nodded. “Something very important.”

 

Setting the crumpled napkin down, my father turned and looked at me expectantly. “You got promoted and we’re all going to the Caribbean!”

 

Jim snorted, “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t get a promotion and we’re not going to the Caribbean.”

 

Suddenly, I was burning up. The sudden fear that I would be yelled at by my own father, the idea of his disappointment, took over. Yes, I was an adult, but this was still my old man. The man who had his wife walk out on him, leaving him with a small child to raise on his own. All my life, I tried my very best to be a good kid, not wanting to add on the extra stress as he busted his ass to make sure I had everything I wanted and then some. Being considered a “cripple” by some, he managed to do his best by doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. Fixing cars down at the old auto shop and fixing up sinks for the married soccer moms that liked the single-father aspect of him.

 

“I’m pregnant!”

 

He blinked, “W-what?” he asked, as I nodded furiously. “Hold on… you’re pregnant? You? Miss, I-don’t-want-babies, is having a baby.”

 

“Well, that’s what being pregnant is all about,” I said.

 

“Who’s the father? And why isn’t he here with you?” he asked, trying to take in the news that I just spurred on him.

 

I blinked, “Well, here’s the thing,” I said, letting out a nervous laugh. “We’re not exactly sure who the father is.”

 

You know those ridiculous posters in the nurses office at school? The ones that show what to do if someone is choking or having a heart attack? Well, my dad would totally be the best model for one of those, especially with the look that he was giving me.

 

“What do you mean, _we?”_ he nearly growled.

 

Oh. Shit. When Christopher Pike growled at you, in an unsexy manner, you knew shit was about to hit the fan. Believe me, I would know. I had to flood out the bathroom when I was three and a half to hear that tone of voice and it scared me straight after that.

 

“The baby is ours,” Leonard finally spoke, as my father turned to look at him. “Audrey is pregnant with a baby that shares one of our DNA sequences.”

 

At that moment, I felt so bad for everyone involved, not including myself. Out of the two of them, Leonard was the last person I expected to curl up in fear against my dad. Jim was the dramatic one between the two of them.

 

“But… you’re both gay,” my dad pointed out.

 

“Yes,” Jim nodded. “We know.”

 

My dad shook his head, “Okay, what the fuck is going on?” he snapped. “Is this that ridiculous show with the kid that wears the trucker hat? The one that pulls pranks on his rich friends?”

 

“ _Punk’d?”_ I asked, not fully understanding what Ashton Kutcher had to do with anything. “Daddy! No, you’re not being punk’d. I slept with these two idiots and now I’m pregnant.”

 

“Oh god,” he shook his head, covering his face with his hands. “How? You know what, I don’t want to know how you got into this predicament. What I want to know, is if this is something that happened as an accident or if it was planned.”

 

The three of us blinked, “Kinda planned, but kind of an accident,” Jim said. “See, Bones and I want to have a baby. Audrey here is our best friend and we both asked if she would be willing to be our surrogate.”

 

I nodded, “To which I agreed to, not thinking I would get knocked up on the first try,” I added. “But I’m seven and a half weeks pregnant and I’m having a baby.”

 

“Do you three even realize what you’re getting yourselves into?” my dad asked.

 

“Well.. yeah,” Leonard nodded. “It’ll be a lot of work, but I’m sure we can handle it…”

 

Daddy cut him off, “I’m not talking about diaper changes and sleepless nights,” he shook his head. “Did you three even stop to think about what this would do to your friendship? Not only are you two married, but you had a threesome with my daughter and now she’s having a baby!”

 

Leonard and Jim looked down at the table, “What’s gonna happen afterwards?” he continued. “Not only will this baby go home with you two, but Audrey’s gotta deal with the aftermath of giving birth to a kid for her two best friends? What will you tell him or her when they’re older? “

 

“Nothing is going to change, Dad,” I said, as he turned to look at me.”

 

“Audrey, you say it now, but it will,” he sighed, shaking his head. “I think the three of you are making a big mistake right now.”

 

The boys didn’t speak, as I stared at him in disbelief. “And I’m disappointed that you went and did this, Aud. After listening to me go on and on about having grandchildren of my own, you went and got pregnant with a baby that you won’t even keep.”

 

“Daddy!” I gasped, as he stood from the table. “Daddy, you know that’s not fair.”

 

He shook his head, “I’m going upstairs,” he announced, grabbing his cane from against the table. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now. Except that I think you’re making a big mistake and that the three of you are being irresponsible.”

 

I watched in defeat as he slowly made his way out of the kitchen, the creaking of his footsteps on the stairs, as he went up to his room.

 

For the first time since I flooded our tiny bathroom all those years ago, I felt nothing but utter fear. 


	3. Chapter 3

It was a week before my father called me, after breaking the news that I was walking around with a fertilized uterus. Actually, it was more like Uncle Phil calling me, after having dinner with him.  But I knew Dad was behind the call, because Phil was always the one to call either of us when we had a minor disagreement. But even that was rare, since my Dad and I couldn’t say mad at each other for more than a few hours.

 

“He’s just… miserable,” Uncle Phil said, when he called during breakfast. “I mean, he’s got fucking stubble on his face. _Stubble!_ Your father hasn’t NOT shaved since you were about… eleven years old? After you fell off the monkey bars in the park and broke your arm.”

 

I knew I had to put an end to his “episode”, knowing that if I didn’t, the silent treatment would last for months. The perks about working at home, is that I can go anywhere I want. Everything is either sent via email or my messenger from the office I haven’t stepped foot into since last September. So, packing up a duffle bag and some manuscripts, I took the subway into Forest Hills and took the five-minute walk to the house.

 

“Daddy?” I called out, after using my keys to come in. “Daddy? Are you home?”

 

His coat was gone, along with his own keys from the hall table. Setting my bag down on the sofa, I chucked my coat on top of it and started exploring the house. My Dad is a stickler for having everything neat and organized; from the cups in the cabinet to his clothes in the closet. So I knew he hit the deep end, when I found the overflowing laundry basket near the washer and the pile of dishes and utensils in the sink.

 

It took ten minutes to clear the sink out, loading everything into the washer, and giving the sink a good scrub. Cleaning up the kitchen and disposing of the trash, I went back inside and tackled the laundry. I was in the middle of putting away his clothes, when the front door opened and closed again.

 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, when I stepped into the kitchen.

 

“I came by to see you,” I shrugged, leaning against the wall, watching as he put away a few things in the fridge.

 

He snorted, “Did Phil send you here?” he asked, as I watched him. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

 

“I never said you did,” I said, rolling my eyes. “A maid, maybe. But not a babysitter.”

 

There was an awkward silence between us, one that I was not really used to, as he puttered around the kitchen. It was obvious that he was in pain, his fist clenched against his leg.

 

“Do you want me to make some lunch?” I asked, as he tossed the bags into the trash.

 

“Aud…”

 

I couldn’t help but sigh, “Fine,” I said, holding up my hands. “I’ll just go.”

 

“Audrey, you don’t have to go,” he said, as I went to get my things from the living room. “Audrey Grace! Do not walk away when I am talking to you!”

 

Shit.

 

I turned around and looked at him, “Just… sit down,” he sighed, waving to the table near the window. “I’ll put a pot of water on for tea and then we’ll argue of what to eat in a little bit.”

 

Once the water was boiled and served, we sat at the table staring at each other. From this vantage, being up close with him, I could see what Uncle Phil had been talking about. My Dad looked like utter shit. Like he hadn’t slept since the last time I was at the house, breaking the news of my pregnancy. His eyes were bloodshot and he had more wrinkles around them and his mouth, if that was even possible at this stage.

 

“I know you’re mad,” I started off, earning a snort from him. “But this isn’t just about me, Dad. You can’t be pissed off at me the most, because I’m your child.”

 

“Audrey, you willingly offered to have a child with your two friends,” he stressed. “Do you not understand what this could do to your relationship with Leonard and Jim, nine months down the road? A year? Five years?”

 

No, I honestly didn’t think about it. And I told him that. While I did agree to be their surrogate, I honestly thought we had time to plan out exactly when we would start the process. Never did I think a drunken night of debauchery would end up with me pregnant, with either Len or Jim being the father.

 

“Dad, can’t we just not argue about all of this right now?” I groaned, as he ranted. “The boys and I didn’t expect this to happen right away and we’re still trying to get used to the idea that it actually happened.”

 

“Audrey, someone has to argue and make you see the potential negative outcome of this,” Dad sighed. “Sweetheart, this isn’t a loan you make to someone. We’re talking about a baby; a actual baby that _you_ have to give birth to and then hand it over. You realize this, right? It’s not like you can just… give birth, hand it over and then decide a few weeks or months down the line, that you want it back.”

 

I nodded; of course I knew that! Give me some credit, Dad! I’m not a total idiot!

 

Dad sighed, “I just.. I just don’t understand _why._ I spent years hoping that you would settle down and have children of your own! But you constantly insisted that you’d never go down that road or have children.”

 

The look on his face broke my heart and made me feel like the worst child ever. It was clear that he spent the last few days; torn over how quickly I’d changed because of this.

 

_Please don’t cry, Dad. Please, for the love of God, do not cry._

But he did, and my Dad can be a real ugly crier when the opportunity is right. I know I sound like an utter bitch for even saying this, but I’ve spent most of my life watching my Dad cry. A majority of it was when I was in the shadows of our hallway, when I was too little to understand why my Mom left us in the middle of the night when I was a kid.  It’s mostly the reason why I never wanted to be with anyone, because I saw what it did to him. I didn’t want to sit around and wait for the other shoe to drop, only to sit around some more and mourn the end of a relationship.

 

“I know you have your reasons, but I’ve always wanted to have grandkids,” he sniffled. “I only had you, Aud. And I’m so lucky and blessed that I was given the chance to be a parent. But I just wanted to see you settle down and have a normal life, instead of being alone in that apartment of yours.”

 

“Dad, I don’t think that’s in the cards for me,” I admitted. “I don’t mind being single or alone in my apartment. This is the life I’ve lived since college and I’m very content with not getting married or being in a long term relationship…”

 

He looked crushed as I said this, as if I was ripping his heart out and stomping on it with my old snow boots.

 

“Besides, why would I want to be in a long term relationship, when I’m already in one?” I shrugged.

 

“Not another surprise!” he groaned, covering his face with his hands.

 

I snorted, “Dad, I’m talking about you,” I told him, reaching out to lay my hand on his arm. “I don’t need a man to take care of me, when I already have you.”

 

He shook his head, “Audrey, I’m not gonna be around forever,” he said. “What if you wake up one day, many years down the road, and you realize that you should’ve done it all differently?”

 

It took me a few seconds to let his words sink in, because while he didn’t want to say what he really meant, I’d already knew.

 

_What are you going to do, when you’re sixty and alone? When Jim and Leonard run off with the baby you carried for them and kick you to the curb? When I’m six feet in the ground, with a chuck of rock over my resting place and a dead flowers around it?_

“I guess that’s my problem to worry about,” I finally said, putting an end to the conversation. “Now, let’s argue about lunch.”

 

……………………..

I finally met up with Leonard and Jim after spending the weekend with Dad in Forest Hills. We decided to catch up for a late lunch, considering it was Monday and both of them had work.

 

“I want my Dad to be the Grandfather to this baby,” were the first words out of my mouth, as I dropped into the empty chair across from them.

 

Leonard and Jim looked at each other, then back at me, blinking. “Of course he would be the Grandfather!” Leonard said, as he placed his menu down. “Are you kidding? Did you really think we’d turn around and say, “Sorry Chris, but you can’t be a grandparent to this baby?”

 

“We love your Dad,” Jim said. “He’s been a Dad to us since the moment we moved into the dorms and he threatened to maim us if anything happened to you.”

 

 “I just..” I paused, looking at the plate before me. “If anything happens between the three of us, promise me that you won’t keep the baby from him.”

 

They shook their heads, “Nothing is going to happen between the three of us,” Jim said, laying his hand out on the tabletop. “All of this is going to be fine and by the time you have the baby? We’re going to be even closer, Audi. You’re going to be the biological mother to this little… life.”

 

“We didn’t ask you to do this because you’re the only woman we know,” Leonard pointed out. “Jim and I talked about this for a year, before asking you.”

 

A waitress came by at that moment, taking our drink orders and a side of loaded french fries.

 

“Adoption was a bust and expensive,” Jim shrugged. “And going to one of those fancy clinics that you have to pay thousands of dollars to put your sperm into a stranger? Weird.”

 

“We asked you because we love you,” Leonard concluded. “You’re our best friend and.. yes, we have a complicated relationship that involves sex, but besides all that? We couldn’t think of anyone else that would be the perfect candidate for starting a family with.”

 

I nodded, looking down at the worn out menu, trying my best to remain calm. But it was hard, after going through a total three-sixty with all the hormones and tiring weekend I’d spent with my Dad.

 

“How about, this weekend, we either go see Dad for dinner?” Jim shrugged. “I’ll cook some food and bake something and we’ll take it over to his place? That way he can hear our side of this and Bones and I can tell him that we want him to be Grandpa?”

 

Leonard was nodding enthusiastically, something that was very rare and very frightening to witness.

 

“Uncle Phil might be over this weekend,” I warned. “It’s the first weekend he’s had off since the holidays. They’re planning on watching some hockey and being ridiculous.”

 

“I like hockey,” Jim grinned. “And Uncle Phil owes me at least a full nights worth of scolding. Especially if I make something extra greasy and unhealthy for all of us to consume.”

 

The laughter couldn’t be kept at bay, as I struggled to keep it in. “Okay, Friday night,” I nod. “Forest Hills for dinner.”

 

Jim grinned, as the waitress returned with our drinks. “Sounds like a date!” he exclaimed, slapping his hand on the tabletop. 


	4. Chapter 4

By the time I was finished with the first trimester, I had gained about ten pounds; five more than the norm, much to my dismay. Between eating at Leonard and Jim's during the week, my Dad's on the weekend and stuffing my face with unhealthy snacks late at night, my jeans were far too tight and my body started going flabby. 

"No more junk," Leonard scowled, as he ushered me into the Trader Joe's on Broadway. "We are going to get you healthy and hooked on healthy food." 

"But I don't wanna," I pouted, as he grabbed a wagon. "You can't make me, Lenny. You can't make me!!!!" 

He shook his head, "You sound like a goddamn five year old," he said, pulling me close to the cart. "Eating healthy can be fun, Audi! How do you think I got Jim hooked on eating healthy?" 

"Denying him that huge monster of a dick you have?" I smiled sweetly at him, while he blushed three shades darker than the nail polish on my fingers. 

"Let's go," he barked, starting towards the produce. "And stick close to me, because this place gets crazy."

It was easier to just do what Leonard asked, as I followed him through the aisles of organic cereals and oats, only half listening to him as he babbled on and on. It wasn't until we reached the frozen section, that I took interest in what was offered. Everything looked just like the crap my Dad would buy for me when I was a kid; chicken nuggets and burgers, frozen and only needed to be thrown into the oven or a frying pan. 

"Audrey, easy," Leonard warned, as I tossed a bunch of various things into the cart. "You need to watch out for the sodium in some of this stuff." 

"Then tell me what you buy!" I snapped, as he looked at the nutritional facts on the boxes and bags. "You're driving me crazy, Leonard! I'm fucking hungry and carrying around your spawn who has the appetite of a teenaged boy!" 

He stared me down, "Are you done?" he asked, as I scowled. 

"No," I spat. "But I'll finish my argument when we get back to the apartment." 

It was another half an hour, before Leonard deemed my groceries to be sufficient, leading me over to the checkout. I managed to sneak a chocolate bar into the bunch while he wasn't looking, bagging everything up into paper bags. Given that it was his idea to bring me food shopping, he paid for the nine bags of food that would probably last me three weeks; unless i didn't eat any of it and snuck out to the deli down the block from my apartment. 

By the time we reached my apartment, after taking the subway and walking four blocks, Leonard sent me off to change into comfortable clothes. 

"I'll make you some lunch and then I have to get going," he said, setting the bags onto the table. "Hurry, that way you can take a nap or something." 

I hated the sudden smothering that Jim and Leonard were bombarding me with, ever since I made it past the first trimester. Not only were they changing my eating habits, but they also wanted to know where I was going and who I was going with. How much exercise was I getting each day and if I'd been reading the baby journals and books they sent or brought over. They made sure to be at every weekly appointment, asking a million questions to my OBGYN, while I laid on the little exam table, unable to get my own questions out. 

"So, we have an appointment on Friday," Leonard said, as he set a dish down in front of me. "I can't get out of work early, since I left last Tuesday. So Jim will be going with you..." 

"Actually," I interrupted him. "Dad wants to go." 

Leonard nodded, "So he'll go with you guys.." he started, before I interrupted him again. 

"I want to go with my Dad," I said firmly. "Please? I think I'm allowed to have a day out with my dad, Len." 

He frowned, "I didn't say that you couldn't," he said, while I stabbed at the salad with my fork. "What has gotten into you, Audrey?" 

I dropped the fork onto the dish, "You and Jim need to just... back off a little bit," I said, as he sat down across from me. "You're both driving me insane and I feel like I'm suffocating." 

"We're just worried about the baby," he started, making me glare at him. "I mean.." 

"I'm not a fucking idiot, Leonard," I snapped. "You think this is easy for me? Huh? Because it's not, Leonard! My entire body is shot to shit and I don't need you or Jim hounding me on it!" 

Leonard looked at me, looking suddenly worried and almost afraid, as I yelled. "Audrey, just.. calm down," he said, holding up his hands. 

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him, "Oh great," I shook my head. "Now you're going to tell Jim that I'm fucking crazy and that I need a psych evaluation." 

"We just want everything to go smoothly," he said, as I pushed the plate away from me. The smell of tuna and whatever else that was on the salad, was making me sick. "If you don't want us to come to the ultrasounds, we won't go." 

"I'm not saying you can't come to them all," I huffed. "I just want my Dad to come to some of them. And Uncle Phil too. And on top of that, I have questions for the doctor as well, but you two never give me the chance to ask them. You're too busy making plans on things that I don't even know what the fuck they mean, without me agreeing to them. I'm the fucking patient, not you two!" 

God, I was on a roll. These pregnancy hormones were absolutely insane, making me feel a range of emotions. I knew for a fact that once Leonard left, I would probably have a meltdown and cry for a couple of hours, before either going back into a full blown rage or becoming over-the-top excited about nothing.

"Jim and I will skip this appointment," Leonard said, his tone of voice meaning business. "But we would like it if you called us after, so that we know the baby's doing good." 

I watched as he stood up, grabbing his keys and phone off the table. I wasn't expecting him to leave so suddenly without a fight. 

"B-" 

"Make sure you eat your lunch and take a nap," he said, heading to the door. "We'll see you this weekend." 

And just like that, he was gone. 

.................

"God, they're use medieval torture devices if it gets stuck." 

I couldn't help but snort, as my father looked at the posters on the wall in the exam room. Currently he was studying the methods on vaginal delivery and how to get the baby out, which didn't look too fun to be honest. 

"That's if the baby is in distress or if I go into distress," I told him. "Dad, come over here! You're going to put yourself into shock if you keep reading that stuff." 

He made his way over to the exam table, taking my hand into his. "Is this doctor nice?" he asked, as I rested my other arm under my head. "He doesn't go out of his way to feel you up now, does he?" 

"OH my god," I groaned, as the knock sounded on the door. 

"Are we decent?" the doctor asked, stepping into the room. "I see we left the fathers-to-be at home." 

I nodded, "It was a difficult process, but I managed," I said, as my doctor opened my file. "This is my father, Christopher. Dad, this is Doctor Sulu." 

My dad shook his hand, before leaning down to whisper, "He looks a little young," into my ear. Hikaru, my OBGYN, snorted as he started prepping the ultrasound machine. 

"You should see my sister," he said, grabbing the bottle of jelly off the side cart. "She's turning forty-nine and looks just as she did back when she graduated high school." 

"Good genes," I quipped, while my Dad rolled his eyes. "Oh the fun part..." 

Hikaru went through the normal routine, checking my weight and feeling around my growing belly for any abnormalities. Then came the questions, some that had many embarrassing answers to. 

"You need to slow down with the weight gain," Hikaru said, making a few notes off in my chart. "For someone your height, you should only gain about twenty-five pounds by the time you deliver. You're pushing fifteen and you're only four and a half months pregnant." 

Dad looked mad at that, shaking his head at me. "Could you give me a list of what she should be eating?" he asked, as Hikaru picked the bottle of jelly up again. "That way I know what to have in my house when she comes to visit." 

"Dadddddd!" I whined, as Hikaru squeezed the cold junk onto my bare belly. "Cold!" 

"Trust me," HIkaru said, picking up the transducer. "You will thank me for the harping, along with your Dad's and the other two, when you're post-partum. Losing twenty-five pounds sounds a lot better than fifty pounds." 

Turning the machine on, Hikaru placed the transducer against my stomach, moving and pressing it into my stomach to find the baby. I hated this part the most, because it felt like someone was squeezing the noticeable fat that accumulated to my mid-section. 

"There we go," I heard Hikaru mutter, as he turned the speakers up. 

Suddenly, the sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room, pumping through the speakers at full force. 

"Is that..." My Dad asked, his eyes going wide as Hikaru played around with the computer console. 

He nodded, "That is the baby's heartbeat," he said, smiling at him. "Very strong at that." 

We listened quietly as the 'thump, thump, thump," bounced around the room, until I heard sniffling to my left. Turning my head, I saw that my Dad was in fact, crying as he heard the first signs of his grandchild's life. I took his hand into mine and smiled, as he turned to look at me. 

"I remember the last time I was in a room like this," he said, wiping at his face. "Was the day before you were born." 

"Everything looks good in here, Audrey," Hikaru said, pointing to the screen. "I see no abnormalities or anything out of the ordinary. Just a healthy and growing baby." 

I sighed in relief, "Thank god," I mumbled, as Hikaru set the photos to print. "Good new to pass onto Jim and Leonard when I see them on Saturday." 

Hikaru grabbed a few paper towels and wiped the mess off my belly, "Why didn't they come today?" he asked, standing up to throw the paper out. "Usually they're ushering you in here like you're the Duchess of Cambridge." 

"I kinda told them they couldn't," I winced, sitting up. "You know how they get whenever we're in here, Sulu. I have like.. a list of questions that I need answers to." 

Dad grabbed my bag off the counter and pulled the list out, handing it over to Hikaru. "Jesus," he snorted, reading the first few questions. "I feel bad now, not asking you directly during the appointments if YOU had any questions. Those two are just...." 

"Overwhelming?" Dad offered, sitting down in the chair by the exam table. "Dramatic?" 

Hikaru nodded, "They're nice guys, don't get me wrong," he said, tapping the list against his thigh. "But they need to calm down a bit when they're in here. I have a job to do and my priority is to make sure that you and this baby are healthy throughout the duration of the pregnancy."

I was so, so, SO, happy to hear this.

"Now, I am going to take these questions," he waved the paper at me. "And I'm going to type out all the answers and email it to you by tonight. You're my last patient of the day anyway and it's the weekend."

"Oh, you don't have to-" I started, feeling bad that he had to answer about one hundred and six questions.

But Hikaru shook his head, "Most of these are one worded answers," he said. "I'm also going to see if I have any of my old PDF files from med-school on my computer. That along with all the other stuff I have access to, I'll send over. It's a lot better than reading that _What to Expect When You're Expecting,_ nonsense. You need current information, Audrey." 

Dad blushed, "What's wrong with that book?" he asked, trying to play it cool.

But I knew.

"Did you buy that book?" I asked, watching as he blushed. "Daddy!"

"What?" he exclaimed, shrugging. "I was curious and I wanted to make sure that you knew what to expect....when you're expecting."

 Hikaru chuckled, "Make an appointment for next week," he said, tapping the chart on the table. "And bring your Dad around more often. It's nice to get everyone involved during these visits, that way they can be part of the experience." 

I nodded, swinging my legs over the side of the exam table, as Hikaru took the printouts from the printer. "Make sure Grandpa gets to take one of these home," he warned, setting the photos down next to my bag. "And eat healthy! I don't want you gaining more than a pound between now and your next appointment." 

Saying goodbye, Hikaru left so I could get dressed again, while my Dad stood and looked down at the photos from the ultrasound.   
  
"So," I sighed, hopping off the exam table. "Wanna get a burger?" 

He looked up at me, frowning. "Absolutely not!" he shook his head. "We're going back to your place and we're going to have something healthy!" 

"Daddddyyyyyyy!" I whined, as he opened the door.   
  
"Let's make your appointment and get you home," he said, nodding towards the front desk. "Audrey Grace, you can pout all you want. You're not getting a burger today." 

A twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine, the use of my full name was enough to know that my Dad meant business. So, as he stood in the hallway, pointing to the front desk, I stomped my way out of the exam room and down the hall to make my next torture appointment. 


	5. Chapter 5

The day I met Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, I knew my life would change forever. Well, it was already changing, given the fact that I was pregnant with one of my best friends baby. See, it all began on the hottest day in June, when I had to drop off a crate of manuscripts that took me ages to get through. 

"Just make sure you send these straight to Nyota," I told her assistant, Pavel. "Did she leave anymore for me to go over?" 

"Da," he nods, the curls on his head bouncing a bit wildly as he scrambles to pick up the tote bag from under the desk. "And Ms. Uhura is vith someone at ze moment. Vould you vait for her?" 

I nod, shifting the heavy bag from one hand to the other. "Why not?" I shrug, sitting down in the chair across from his desk. "Ice cream could wait." 

While I waited for my boss, I spoke freely with Pavel. He was seventeen and somehow managed to score a full time job in the literary world. I still had no clue how this was possible, given that he was a minor and applying for citizenship with his Mother. I knew that he lived in Queens and liked all kinds of books, mostly written by Russian authors. I had to break him out of his shell and introduced him to thousands of other well know authors, bringing in copies of my own books for him to borrow. 

"Well, I say we meet up again in.... a month?" I heard Nyota say, as her door opened. "I'll have my assistant call you once we get the copy back." 

I watched as my tall and very fashionable boss stepped out of her office, wearing a knee length red dress and black heels. Damn her and her ability to look amazing on this hot day, while I look like dog in heat. 

"That would be lovely," the Scottish brogue filtered out of the office, as Nyota smiled at who ever she had been talking to. 

And just like that, my panties were soaked and I knew my face was three different shades of red. Along with eating nearly everything in my sight, I was insanely horny and wanting to fuck just about anyone that said hello to me in the street. Pregnancy was no joke when it came to fucking with your body, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Masturbation was not cutting it these days and neither was the ridiculous vibrator that I broke down and purchased one rainy afternoon, in a sex shop downtown. I was a MESS.

I prayed that Nyota landed a contract for a new book, and that the author was a ridiculously sexy, Scottish man. Instead, a short, balding and slightly pudgy man stepped out of her office. He was dressed causally, almost too casually for a meeting with Nyota Uhura. A pair of jeans, tennis sneakers and a red shirt, were not suitable attire if you wanted to get your book published by Enterprise Books. To impress Nyota Uhura, you had to dress the part and have a really good story to tell. 

"Oh, here she is!" Nyota exclaims, when she finally takes notice of me, sitting in the chair. "This is Audrey Pike! One of my best editors." 

The man turned and smiled at me, "'Ello," he gave me a little wave. 

He was cute. I wont lie about that, as his blue eyes sparkled. I decided then and there, that I would probably have sex with him if he offered, but at that moment... I just wanted the biggest bowl of ice cream. 

"Hi," I manage, standing up from the chair, holding out my hand. "Audrey."

"Scotty," he took my hand into his, shaking it firmly. 

I tried to ignore the spark that shot up my arm, as my hand fit perfectly in his. I wondered if he felt the same as me and if he did, he hid it very well. But I couldn't help but blush as his eyes roamed from head to toe, knowing that they stopped a bit longer on my exposed cleavage. I guess that was one of the very few good things to happen to me, since I was knocked up. I finally had something to fill out the tops of my strapless summer dresses and the bikini top I wore earlier in the week, when I attempted to sun bathe in the small back yard of my father's house. 

"Scotty has sent his manuscript for his book to us," Nyota says, interrupting the silent eye-fucking fest that we were having. 

Pavel quickly took the manila envelope from her, leaving her hands free to smooth down the front of her dress. "I would like it if you had it back in the office after the holiday," she said. "July tenth the latest." 

"Sure," I nod, clearing my throat. "I'll get started right away!" 

Pavel hands me the envelope and I am taken back at how heavy it is. Great, I think, as I shoulder the bag of ten other manuscripts I need to read, thinking of how I would have to seriously put a pep into my step and read by a deadline.

"It was nice to finally meet you, Mr. Scott," says Nyota, giving him her professional smile. "I look forward to meeting with you in a month." 

I quickly darted out of the office and over to the elevator bank, while Scotty thanked my boss again. 

"That was a wee bit unnerving." 

Turning my head quickly, I was slightly surprised to find Scotty standing next to me, looking relieved as ever. I couldn't help but giggle, "She's scary at first," I said, as the doors to the elevator opened. "But once she gets a good review of your book and puts it to work, you're fine." 

"Ah've been to five different publishers and this is the only one that didn't turn me down," he tells me , as we stepped into the empty car. "Ah was beginning to lose hope." 

"What is your book about," I ask, hitting the '1' button. "That way I have a general idea of what I'm going to be reading." 

Scotty blushed a bit, "It's a time travel book," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah mean, it's fiction. But it has to do with time travel." 

That was a first. "Time travel is pretty cool," I smile. "I don't think I ever read a book about time travel since working at Enterprise." 

"My niece and nephew love stories that have to do with time travel," Scotty tells me, as the elevator reaches the first floor. "So Ah figured writing one would make them happy." 

"I'm sure they're happy just having you as their Uncle." 

Stepping out into the neat lobby, the floors freshly waxed the night before, I give Scotty a reassuring smile. "I look forward to reading your book," I tell him, shifting the bag straps on my shoulder. 

He smiles at him, "Guard it with your life, lass," he says, somewhat jokingly. "It was a pain in the arse typing it all out from me notes." 

"I will guard it with my life," I say in all seriousness, clutching the envelope to my chest. "Have a good day." 

By the time I get home, juggling manuscripts and a take out bag from the ice cream parlor, I'm itching to read Scotty's book. Taking the quickest, coldest shower I can muster, I quickly slip on a pair of panties and a shirt, before climbing into bed with my ice cream and the heavy envelope. What better way to beat the horrible heat by shoveling a five scoop sundae down my throat and reading nearly four hundred pages of time traveling? 

.....................

It took me six and a half hours to read 435 pages. I laughed, cried, cursed and had every imaginable emotion while reading those 435 pages. Once I completed the final line of the book, I quickly grabbed my phone and dialed the number on the little post it note that was slapped onto the first page of the manuscript. 

"Ello?" 

"You need to write another book," was the first thing out of my mouth. "I need to know if she comes back!" 

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, "Who is this?" 

"Audrey," I frown, moving the papers from my lap. "Audrey Pike? I met you at Enterprise Books today. The editor that's reading your book." 

"Ohhhh," Scotty finally realized. "Ah'm sorry, lass. Ah was sleeping a-" 

I cursed, "I'm sorry!" I truly felt bad, waking him up. "I just finished your book and I just... I couldn't hold it in. I needed to call you." 

He chuckles, "So? Yeh like it?" he asked, as I shifted on the spot. I had to pee SO bad. 

"I loved it," I gasped. "Everything. The characters, the storyline... the description of every single detail that left me literally foaming at the mouth." 

"Ah'm glad you enjoyed it," Scotty says, yawning. "Ah just hope yer boss takes yer word for it and publishes it." 

Getting up from bed, I stretched my stiff joints, "I will quit if she doesn't publish this book," I warn. "And please tell me you started a sequel. I really need to know if Lavinia makes it through the bombing of London, so that she can finally tell Tom that she's in love with him." 

"Well, Ah didn't write much of a second book," he admits. "Ah didn't want to get me hopes up if Ah couldn't get the first one published." 

"I'm going to make it my mission to get this book into stores," I promise him. "I don't think I've ever read anything this amazing since.... god, when I was like.. five? When I finally learned how to read  _Green Eggs and Ham_ all on my own." 

Scotty laughs at this, "Yeh know, yer my first fan over the age of eight," he tells me. "Yeh might have to compete with my niece and nephew over who takes the number one spot." 

I giggle, "Maybe we could all share?" I tease, blushing hotly. 

For fucks sake, I'm flirting with this man, a total stranger. And I'm five months pregnant with my gay best friends child. And really horny. Goddamn it all, my life is a soap opera. 

"Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?" I suddenly find myself asking, having no shame at all. 

"It's two in the morning," Scotty replies, snorting. 

Oh god. Why me?  
  
"Shit," I hiss, glancing at the clock. "I'm  _so_ sorry! You were probably sleeping, because that's what sane people do at two in the morning!" 

He laughs at my babbling, "It's alright, lass," he reassures me. "But if yer not too busy tomorrow morning, Ah could meet for a cup of coffee." 

I was on cloud nine at that moment, growing giddy at the thought of having a coffee date with this man. ME. Of all people, who hated relationships and refused to date anyone. 

"How about.... ten? There's a coffee shop around the corner from Enterprise's offices, that's really good. The Kelvin?" I suggest, hoping that Scotty knew of the place. They made the best egg sandwiches and Robau always gave me extra bacon, free of charge. 

"Ah know the place," Scotty tells me, and I suppress a squeal that I am dying to release. "Ah'll get us a table and yeh can tell me everything yeh didn't like about my book." 

I sigh, "What makes you think I didn't like anything about it?" I ask, carrying the remains of my ice cream to the kitchen. 

Scotty laughs again, "Because there is no way yeh liked the entire thing!" he exclaims. "Nobody ever likes everything in a a book! There's always a character or a plot line that someone will hate." 

"You're insane. I loved the entire thing," I say, standing firm on my statement. "Now, I will see you tomorrow morning for coffee and maybe breakfast. And you will hear every reason why I  _loved_ your book." 

Saying goodbye, I hung up and went back into my bedroom to get ready for bed. By the time I climbed under the sheets, setting Scotty's manuscript on my desk, I was out within seconds. 

Little did I know at that moment, as I slept and drooled on my pillow, that Montgomery Scott would change my entire life in the biggest way possible. Well, I did. But it wasn't in the way that I was expecting. 


End file.
